Underprivileged Lanka villagers unhappy with state government
Villagers walk 12 kms to catch a bus
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, April 21 2011: Public transportation, road communication, medical facilities, electricity supply, education and lack of almost all essential commodities beset the people of Tanulong Lanka in Senapati district.

Lanka village under Saitu AC which is 150 kms away from Imphal on the IT road has 75 households with around 900 people of the Liangmai community.

Villagers have to travel a distance of 12 kms to Makui to catch a bus if they wish to go to Imphal.

These facts were discovered by a team of reporters who visited the village this month.

The team also found that the village is hardly getting any privileges of communication, electricity supply, proper drinking water and PDS items.

The team led by Pastor Dr Joykumar visited the village from April 18 to 20 .

Post commander of the 10th Dogra Regiment posted at the village Subedar Jagtar Singh, Nike Subedar Gangaram and Army Medical Officer Dr Sh Chand also welcomed the team.

A press conference was held on the night of April 18 at the Lanka Baptist Church and the villagers told the reporters about the inconveniences and woes faced by them.

Lanka village children ready to go to school

Conditions of road transport are in the worst condition.

Villagers walk about 10 kms to go to Kanglatongbi and Leimakhong to sell their agricultural products.

In case of medical needs, they have to cover the 12 km long stretch from their village to Makui PHSC carrying the patient either on their backs or on make shift stretchers.

Many patients have died on the way to the PHSC.

Chairman of the village authority Paokeji expressed his desire for the state government to look into the pitiable condition of the village and to bring some relief to the villagers.

He said that the only road which connects the village to Imphal is the 150 km long IT road.

Unfortunately the situation of the IT road is also at its worst condition.

Moreover the there are no bridges over the Lanka river, Saluwa Dew river, Thanpho river, Horsong Dew river and Atao View river.

Local villagers have constructed small suspension bridges over these rivers.

Villagers wish to go to Leimakhong for their needs but the hill cutting work of the road to Leimakhong was stopped before 10 years back after completing work on only four kms, he said.

Paokeji said, when the Awa attacked Manipur in the past Meitei kings and the villagers of Lanka stood together against the Awa.

Even Uningthou which is used in making Hiyang Hirel was taken from the village.

Unfortunately, the government of Manipur is not paying any attention to development of the village.

Though the government leaders say that hill and valley ares are one and its dwellers are brothers and sisters, they are not taking up any development works in various remote areas of the hill areas, Paokeji said.

This nature of the government will become a hindrance in the process of building unity among the hill and valley people, he added.

He alleged that the local MLA Haokholet Kipgen is playing dirty politics by turning a blind eye to the pitiable condition of the village and ignoring repeated pleas for construction of a PHSC, a transport system and distribution of PDS items.

Every MLA elected from the constituency has done little for the development of the village, he alleged.

The village gets PDS items once in a year.

If they want to buy a litre of kerosene, one should have to go to Kanglatongbi after spending ' 120 as bus fare.

Although there are many elderly persons in the village only 32 of them get old age pensions.

Not a single scheme of the government including the housing scheme of the TD department has reached the village.

The village is yet to get electricity since its inception 600 years ago.

Villagers contributed money and constructed six micro hydel power generators.

But they have become non functional due to lack of water.

The village is using six solar lamps given to them by MANIREDA.

Fortunately, MGNREGS is properly implemented in the village and it has 104 job card holders, he said.

There is only one WLL telephone which is the only source of communication with the outside world.

Although the 10th Dogra Regiment presented them two computer sets, and two generators which are lying unused since there is no petrol available in the area.

Villagers are using medicines given by the Army Medical Unit in times of ailments.

Pregnant and lactating mothers walk the 12 km long stretch to Makui for medical checkup or for polio immunization.

According to an ASHA, pregnant women of the village are deprived of benefits of medical care including iron tablets, malaria tests, polio drops, maternity benefits and other women related health issues since there is no health centre in the village.

Four persons have died due to measles and diarrhoea some months back, she said.

There is no one in the village who has knowledge of midwifery.

If the state government constructs at least a PHSC in the village, the inconveniences faced by the villagers in health related issues will be solved to some extent, the ASHA added.